The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Claire had already given up on being called "noona" years ago.

From the moment Leo and Claire first met, they had been arguing over whether to call each other "noona" or "oppa." Neither of them even remembered who had started it. It was just something they had been fighting over since their earliest memories.

But even before those memories—memories that felt old enough to be vague—Claire had been calling Sylvia "unnie."

That memory, at least, was so vivid that time could never erase it.

Because Sylvia had been the first "good person" Claire had ever met.

Of course, her image had changed a little over the years.

The "unnie" who had once seemed like an angel wasn’t actually that perfect. She made mistakes, just like any person. She had clear likes and dislikes. Claire had thought she was someone who succeeded at everything, but the truth was, she was someone who tried over and over again until she finally achieved success.

Even when those failures came at the cost of her own body.

But even after seeing that side of her, Claire had no intention of not calling her "unnie."

There was no way she could ever give it up. How could she not call someone "unnie" when they had done that much for her?

"What’s got you so lost in thought?"

...Though.

"You called her noona."

"Not this again."

Leo frowned deeply at Claire’s remark.

Honestly, Claire didn’t hate that expression. Leo had the appearance of someone who was easygoing, someone who didn’t care about the little details—but in front of the people he was closest to, he always let his emotions show.

Well, he was someone who openly showed his emotions even in everyday situations, but the degree of it was different with people he truly trusted.

Of course, not hating it didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying.

"I told you. Sylvia... noona deserves [N O V E L I G H T] to be called that. Isn’t it the same reason you call her ‘unnie’?"

"No, that’s not why I brought it up this time."

She was a little annoyed, though. Calling it jealousy toward Sylvia would be a stretch, but there was a small flicker of irritation—Why don’t I get to be called that?

Well, it was just a childish sulkiness, the kind a younger brother would have, so she decided to let it go.

"Are you going to keep calling her that from now on?"

"..."

At her question, Leo shut his mouth.

In his past memories, Leo and Sylvia had been siblings.

They must have built up quite a few memories over those years. Claire didn’t think Leo had romantic feelings for Sylvia, but aside from that, it did seem like he had naturally started to see her as family.

"Can’t I?"

"..."

For a moment, Claire had no answer.

Can’t he?

No, that wasn’t right.

By that logic, Claire herself was also doing something she "shouldn’t" be doing—she had been calling Sylvia "unnie" ever since they reunited. Only a select few people knew that Claire had imperial blood. To the rest of the world, she was nothing more than the daughter of a mere baron.

Among nobles, it wasn’t uncommon for close friends to call each other "sister." It was particularly common among noble families—some were connected by blood despite having different surnames, and others had grown up together so closely that they felt like sisters.

But the imperial family and the nobility were different. To commoners, they were all "high-ranking" people, but in reality, they were entirely separate groups. While it wasn’t impossible for a noble to become part of the imperial family, they were not supposed to be considered the same thing.

...Of course, that division meant nothing in the face of money and power. But officially, at least, they had to keep up appearances.

"Well, if you spent a lot of time with unnie, it makes sense that you’d feel that way."

Claire said it with an exaggerated tilt of her chin.

"Alright, I’ll allow it. After all, you are the youngest."

"Why do you get to allow it? And you’re the youngest."

Leo grumbled, but he didn’t actually object to her words.

Claire simply shrugged.

*

The carriage entered the imperial palace without issue.

It had been a month since the final battle in the Theocracy. November had already passed its midpoint, yet the Academy showed no signs of resuming classes.

It made sense. The Academy’s professors weren’t just excellent scholars—they were people who had made real achievements in their respective fields.

Not only that, but most of them were high-ranking nobles. Just as the Grace family was well-known despite being a barony, the professors’ families had influence of their own. They might not all be as powerful as ducal families like the Winterfields or the Northwoods, but still, no noble family would allow their heir to sit idly by while such a massive political upheaval was taking place.

The same was true for the students.

The Academy was already a place where many students left before completing the full four years. The most common reason was family matters—many left to train as heirs, while others got married and started their own families.

Now, with a sudden shift in the imperial throne, nobles were withdrawing their children from school even more quickly.

Of course, that didn’t mean the Academy would shut down entirely.

In fact, many provincial nobles saw this as an opportunity to send their children to the capital. And the headmaster, Winterfield, had already announced that he would resume classes soon.

"It’s not as chaotic as I expected."

"Maybe it just looks that way on the surface."

Leo replied to Claire’s murmured observation.

"I mean, it sounds weird to put it this way, but Alice never really had the same image as the Emperor."

Claire didn’t reply.

But she couldn’t deny it.

Alice was sharp, sure—but she wasn’t the kind of ruler who would crush those who stood in her way like the former Emperor had.

She was also still young. And technically speaking, she wasn’t Emperor yet. She had declared that she would only take the throne after graduating from the Academy, so officially, the position was still vacant. Technically. In reality, it was already hers.

That was why people could still imagine the Academy reopening someday.

...Though whether the nobles’ children could actually focus on their studies while the "de facto Emperor" was attending the same school was an entirely different question.

"At least unnie didn’t become Emperor."

"Aren’t you supposed to be disappointed about that?"

Leo grumbled, but he didn’t actually disagree.

Riding a Gryphon, stopping the Emperor’s schemes, and even overturning the Goddess’s plans just as Fangryphon had done.

That last part was a secret, but the first two were already enough for Sylvia to be revered.

"Still, Alice had a point. If Sylvia became Emperor, the Emperor’s faction would’ve revolted."

Those nobles had thrown their lot in with the Emperor—only for their leader to end up in prison.

If Sylvia had taken the throne on top of that, it would have been a major risk. She was someone the noble faction despised, yet she wasn’t exactly loved by the Emperor’s faction either. If the very person who had stopped the Emperor’s plans had then become Emperor...

...Well. If it had been Sylvia, she probably would have found a way to handle it.

Alice had also played a role in stopping the Emperor. But at the very least, she still had the legitimacy of being his direct daughter. The fact that she had never shown a particular political inclination had probably helped curb opposition to her.

"Please wait here for a moment."

The knight guiding Leo and Claire stopped in front of the audience chamber.

They obediently followed his instructions.

Claire’s lips pressed into a tight line. Having to go through this much hassle just to see unnie—someone she had once been able to meet so easily—was irritating.

The knight didn’t seem to notice.

Well, even if he had, what could he do? Sylvia had probably given instructions to treat Claire with the utmost respect.

...Come to think of it, wasn’t she now right at the center of imperial power?

It was an annoying thought.

She had already started hearing rumors about marriage proposals. She just hoped this wouldn’t make things even worse.

"You may enter."

After relaying the message from the guards at the door, the knight turned back to Leo and Claire.

The two of them exchanged glances, took a steadying breath, and stepped forward.